Deciding if an SSD is worth it....

[aigomorla]

guys just make sure u get the largest ssd u can afford and not the cheapest u see, unless the largest u can afford is the cheapest you see.

You never want to max a SSD, it will eat performance on it, if you max the drive out.

40gigs are practically worthless unless u RAID 0 them.
60gigs are almost worthless, unless u just use windows shell all the time.
120gigs is where u start seeing some benefit and would allow u to install most things u will need and a couple of games.

 

[sm625]

So for a gaming box, how useful is this?

These drives just don't sound like they have a lot of space to me... Do you guys usually just move a hand full of Steam games from your D drive to the C drive when you want to play them? Is it a constant juggling act or am I making it out to be a bigger deal than it really is?

I assume in order to really benefit for games the game must be installed on the C drive, correct?

It is not a big deal to move folders from one drive to another. In most cases the game doesnt even care where it is and can be run anywhere. (I usually try this right away.) But its really only a couple really large installations that you end up messing with at all.

 

[Coup27]

40gigs are practically worthless unless u RAID 0 them.
60gigs are almost worthless, unless u just use windows shell all the time.
120gigs is where u start seeing some benefit and would allow u to install most things u will need and a couple of games.

I don't really agree with these comments. 40GB has its uses. I have 3 40GB drives in works presentation rooms where all it does it run Windows, Powerpoint and stuff like that. They're useful for machines where you only need Windows and web browsing etc.

64-80GB can also be used for a main machine with a full suite of applications and the odd game. 64bit Windows checks in around 25GB so theres a fair amount of room left.

With a modern SSD regardless of size you will still see a big benefit over a HDD.

 

[exdeath]

HDDs suck. Might as well be using VHS or 8 track.

I'll take a 10 year old PC with an SSD over a new PC with a dino drive. I don't believe in accessing local files at kilobyte per second dial up speeds. Not in the year 2012.

Reminds me, I need to gather some dead, oh hell maybe some useless *working* HDDs and take them out for target practice with my HK .308 and Mossberg 12ga to make them pay for all the years of my life I've ever waited on hour glasses and progress bars. Filthy 1950s magnetic garbage.

 

[bryanW1995]

Uhm, no, just no.

Moving from a 500GB SATA2 HD (WD 5000AALX something) with 150MB/sec sequential transfer rate, to a 30GB OCZ Agility SSD, was ... somewhat faster. Not mind-blowing, and even with the HD, I was never sitting there waiting with an hourglass icon for anything.

Sure, an SSD offers a moderate improvement in speed (for everyday tasks), and a more substantial speed upgrade for a limited few specific tasks (virus scanning, PAR2 re-building, etc.), but it's really not essential, in the manner in which you make it out to be.

If I were a gamer, I would most definately stick with a HD, and get a bigger GPU, than to pay the high price for an SSD, and let my FPS suffer so.

You keep talking about this. Your problem was that 1. you bought something from OCZ with beta firmware, and 2. you got a tiny drive/drives. 60 gb for OS only is about the minimum, and you want more like 100 gb + if you want to start putting many everyday tasks on the drive. SSD's start to bog down (as do spindle drives btw) when they fill up with data.

BTW, I'm primarily a gamer and I still absolutely love my intel x25m g2. I sometimes play games here and there on my i7 920 @ 3.95, and I'm amazed by... how........slow.....that....computer....feels....now. And my wife uses her laptop for web surfing/facebook/photo editing/digital scrapbooking, and she loves her intel 320 series ssd as well. I think that Anand said it best when he said that if you switch from an ssd back to a spindle drive you'll think that your spindle drive rig is broken. I'll expand on that by saying that if you'd bought a decent/large enough ssd you would have been quite happy with it, as well.

After 1 year of use and all the updates, with a modest amount of apps and desktop clutter, my 50GB SSD with win7 ultimate (32bit) still has 25GB of free space. 64 bit takes more, which is why you dont want to use x64 unless you absolutely need more than 4GB of ram.

I just moved my i7 920 from my main rig to my backup computer upstairs. In the process I switched it from win 7 x64 home to win xp pro x86. I have 2x2 gb installed in the machine, but it only shows up as 2.6gb to windows now. I really enjoyed 2000/pro for the nearly 10 years that I used them, but if I were buying a new OS today I would absolutely get 64 bit now. the OS doesn't take up that much more space, I think that mine is only using around 25gb now that I finally moved the swap space off of the OS drive.

 

[Coup27]

nvm

 

[bryanW1995]

So for a gaming box, how useful is this?

These drives just don't sound like they have a lot of space to me... Do you guys usually just move a hand full of Steam games from your D drive to the C drive when you want to play them? Is it a constant juggling act or am I making it out to be a bigger deal than it really is?

I assume in order to really benefit for games the game must be installed on the C drive, correct?

I have a z68 mobo, so I'm using SRT to accelerate my wd20ears storage drive. My ssd is a bit cramped since it was only 74.6 gb (listed at 80) even before setting up the cache, but now that I've got it working my games/levels load with nearly ssd-speed (the 2nd time I use them of course). It was/is a bit of a PITA to get everything working right and now just to keep random crap off my OS drive, but as a stopgap until my next big upgrade to IVB + one or two larger ssd's I couldn't be happier.

Newegg had the 90GB Corsair Force Series 3 for $90 AR a few weeks ago. I'm still kicking myself for not jumping on that for my Win7 HTPC. It's sitting at $120 now which is still pretty good. Since you're on SATA 2 you can snag a used 60GB OCZ Vertex 2 from ebay for ~60-70 bucks but they're not as bulletproof as offerings from Intel and Crucial. Other suggestions to drop the price is the 80GB Intel X-25M G2 drive (G1 doesn't have trim, stay away).

To answer your last question, SATA2 (3Gbps) is still plenty fast. Yes it will limit the newest SATA3 (6Gbps) SSDs but for your rig, SATA2 is just fine.

I agree that the SATA II connections will be fine for you, NTAC.

Regarding the x25m g1, the issue is a bit more complicated. It's true that it doesn't have trim, but when Anand tested it, retested it, etc etc etc, it didn't have the incredible speed dropoffs that other drives experienced without TRIM. If you want to read through all the details of why that is you can find them in Anandtech's SSD Relapse from August of 2009, but suffice to say that even an x25m g1 without TRIM would be an excellent purchase used. Additionally, it will probably be quite a bit cheaper due to the lack of TRIM capability.

HDDs suck. Might as well be using VHS or 8 track.

I'll take a 10 year old PC with an SSD over a new PC with a dino drive. I don't believe in accessing local files at kilobyte per second dial up speeds. Not in the year 2012.

Reminds me, I need to gather some dead, oh hell maybe some useless *working* HDDs and take them out for target practice with my HK .308 and Mossberg 12ga to make them pay for all the years of my life I've ever waited on hour glasses and progress bars. Filthy 1950s magnetic garbage.

Traditional hdd's have their uses, but OS/C: drive is no longer a good one. Intel's SRT and the seagate momentus have proven what we can get from hybrid drives/drive setups, I think that we'll start to see more combo's like this in the future. And barring that, a 128-256gb ssd is typically good enough for most users' daily/typical tasks, while a 1-3 tb storage drive for pictures/videos/pron/etc keeps you from spending $1 + /Gb for things that you rarely look at.

 

[cytg111]

Here is a setup I have currently

- GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX All Solid Capacitor Intel Motherboard
- Antec earthwatts EA430 430W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.0 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
- Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor BX80562Q6600
- G.SKILL 2GB (3 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ
- Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250410AS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
- XFX PVT88SFDF4 GeForce 8800 GS 384MB 192-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card


This is running XP 32-bit. And rather sluggish currently. I have an aftermarket cooler which I had the Q6600 running at 3.0ghz with acceptable temps. I would probably OC again after I wipe it and install Win7.

I plan on using it for photo editing.(photoshop CS3, DPP, etc.) I at least plan on getting Windows 7 64-bit and doubling or tripling the RAM.

My question is, with the age of the board and CPU, would it be worth it to add an SSD as a boot drive?

- Consider the "Linux is only free if your time is free"-famous quote..... Now never mind the linux debate, but the point remains.
Is your time free, as in worth zilch? Mine is not. I've never looked back,- well yes every time I use another machine with a spindle... oh the pain!.
I would never never ever consider a new build, desktop, laptop, nettop, whatever, without a (fast)SSD as its main drive.

 

[speedy2]

Ok. I sold some stuff on ebay, and I have fund for this upgrade! And maybe even a new camera lens.

Any suggestions? Since a little time has gone by, I'm wondering if maybe some new stuff might be out there.

Thanks again everyone.

 

[VirtualLarry]

You keep talking about this. Your problem was that 1. you bought something from OCZ with beta firmware, and 2. you got a tiny drive/drives. 60 gb for OS only is about the minimum, and you want more like 100 gb + if you want to start putting many everyday tasks on the drive. SSD's start to bog down (as do spindle drives btw) when they fill up with data.

First of all, it's not beta firmware, it shipped with 1.6, but I applied 1.7. Second, even the 30GB drive is supposed to have 185/100 read/write, which isn't too shabby, and is better than the Intel drives.

While it's true that SSDs bog down after being filled, mine is still only a little more than 2/3 full.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

SSD upgrade is huge because I could barely use my laptop. I finally bit the bullet and SSDed my laptop as well in the end. Now I don't want to touch anyone's computer. EVER. I'll probably die of impatience lol.

 

[Noid]

"run a shell prompt and type in "powercfg -h off" this should free up 8-12GB of space...."

This reclaimed 3gb form me. I already disabled hibernation, but apparently did nothing to disk space.

Thanks so much! Having only a 30gb partition, this was a great help. With SP1 and all the additional 'FIXES' to security,,, I was making plans to make a bigger partition. Now I'm down to 22gb total usage. ( with browsers and other basic software )

I'm going to look for a W7 tweak thread now ... maybe more I don't know about....

PM me if you have a W7x64 tweak thread already bookmarked. TIA.

 

[Noid]

"run a shell prompt and type in "powercfg -h off" this should free up 8-12GB of space...."

This reclaimed 3gb for me. I already disabled hibernation, but apparently did nothing to disk space.

Thanks so much! Having only a 30gb partition, this was a great help. With SP1 and all the additional 'FIXES' to security,,, I was making plans to make a bigger partition. Now I'm down to 22gb total usage. ( with browsers and other basic software )

I'm going to look for a W7 tweak thread now ... maybe more I don't know about....

PM me if you have a W7x64 tweak thread already bookmarked. TIA.

 

[notty22]

Intel SSD's always have great random read 4K and other speed qualities. I have the 40gb Kingston that kicked off the 100 dollar (supposed to be 85.00,) 40gb drives, with Intel guts. I flashed it , with newer Intel firmware and now has trim. Been running since 10/09 non-stop. I have 12 gb free which I always maintain.
LOVE the SSD !

 

[Mars999]

Ok. I sold some stuff on ebay, and I have fund for this upgrade! And maybe even a new camera lens.

Any suggestions? Since a little time has gone by, I'm wondering if maybe some new stuff might be out there.

Thanks again everyone.

Well I am not sure what you sold!

But I still hold to this



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115074

MB

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131712

RAM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820233143

I would get the 16GB kit I have that one works great....

Now, with this build you have new rig, for around $365 or so depending on what you do with dual core or quad core and 8GB vs. 16GB, but then you can get the 64GB SATA Crucial SSD or still get the Mushkin 120GB SSD for $130, and skip the Power suppy for now, and get your copy of Win7 $99 extra than what you were paying already and IMO you will be floored by the extra $100.... over what you were going to do


I am a fan of Muskin SSD drives, my 120GB Chronos Deluxe is FAST



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[zCypher]

Get at least a 120GB drive if you can afford it. It also depends on the system it's going into. If the computer is crazy slow, the SSD will only help so much (but still be a dramatic improvement). The difference from WD Black (which is no slouch in the HDD world) going to a tiny 60GB Vertex2 was huge, I could never go back after that. Going to a new motherboard that supports SATA3, I switched to a Vertex3 and again saw a noticeable improvement though not anywhere as much as HDD to SSD levels.

People tend to think their computer is fine the way it is, probably for a few reasons. Not everything is hard-drive intensive, and people tend to have adequate RAM these days. So people got used to the time it takes for computers to start up, for programs to load, and it just isn't a "problem". Until you experience a good SSD on a good computer, and then you find it painful to go back. I don't think a small, slow, filled to the brim SSD compared to the highest end HDD is a good comparison. Compare your "good" HDD to a 120 or 240GB SF2281 SSD or a Samsung 830 or Crucial M4 for example, and you surpass even good HDD in RAID-0...

 

[exdeath]

SSD upgrade is huge because I could barely use my laptop. I finally bit the bullet and SSDed my laptop as well in the end. Now I don't want to touch anyone's computer. EVER. I'll probably die of impatience lol.

AMEN

It's not impatience. Computers were invented to be faster than us, not make the user and the CPU wait 15 millenia every time you click on an icon.

It's not unreasonable to have the expectation that an electronic device that works in billions of operations per second respond faster than a human user can drive the input devices.

 

[speedy2]

Well. This is all running great. This thing is so fast. Sadly, AT&T DSL is such crap, that the computer and I get to wait while each page loads. Just lovely. Paying for 1.5MBPS(BECAUSE THAT'S THE FASTEST THEY OFFER HERE) and speedtest shows .3 to 1.2MBPS. How lovely. I can't stand AT&T. Wish someone would drop cable out here!

 

[wpcoe]

speedy2: What did you end up buying?

 

[eastyy123]

i originally had a intel ssd drive which worked great (though did start to slow down a bit) ...friends laptop broke down so i gave them that ssd drive to use and i went back to a normal drive and to be honest going back was hard.My system just felt so slow and sluggish so i decided to buy another ssd drive